Broken but Breathing (Jinx Tattoos 2)

“No, you’re just super-sized.”

He snickered and rested his chin on top of her head. “Thank you.”

“I’ll always have your back.”

“I’m starting to see that,” he murmured.

Silence settled over them like a blanket and drowsiness sucked her down into the blackness of sleep. It struck her odd that sleeping with him didn’t bother her.

§

She woke slowly. Long arms wrapped around her waist, and a heavy leg pinned her to the bed. What did I do? She forced her heavy lids open and took in the hotel room. The previous night returned to her, and she took a deep breath. It was just Snake. Her body relaxed. It’d been so long since she woke to someone else in bed.

Her bladder reminded her why she was awake. She wiggled, trying to loosen his hold, and when he rocked his hips in response to the movement, she felt something long and thick press against her ass.

She bit the inside of her cheek and swallowed back a moan. Now is not the time to remember how long it’s been since I had sex. An ache began in her center. She elbowed him gently. “I have to pee.”

He moaned and released her, rolling onto his back. She slipped from the bed and rushed to the bathroom, horrified by the direction her thoughts had begun to travel. The cold seat shocked her into consciousness. He’s vulnerable. He needs a friend. Finishing her business, she splashed water on her face, tamed her wild hair, and returned to the room.

“How are you feeling?” she asked, staring at the bearded man nursing a steaming mug of coffee in their bed.

“Better. Embarrassed as fuck. But better.”

“Good.” She peered at the old-school desk clock beside the bed. “It’s eleven. I’ll need to get out of here soon.”

He nodded. “I appreciate you coming down the way you did, Es. It…uh, meant a lot.”

“That’s what best friends are for.”

“Is that what I am?”

“It’s how I see you,” she replied honestly.

“It’s how I see you, too,” he admitted.

She beamed.

“Least I can do is feed you before you go,” Snake said.

“You don’t have to—”

“You’re eating before you leave,” he said, narrowing his eyes.

“I’m starting to wonder if you have some food fetish.”

“Only as it pertains to you. I want to fatten you up.”

She laughed. “Why?”

“Because you need it, girl. You were all skin and bones.”

“And now?”

“We’re getting there.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’ll let it slip since you’re hung-over.”

“And right,” he said.